


I don't care about the presents (There is just one thing I need)

by twoohugs



Series: Advent Calendar 2019 [1]
Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21592039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoohugs/pseuds/twoohugs
Summary: It’s the first day of December, and Tugger is already getting Christmas presents.
Relationships: Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger
Series: Advent Calendar 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556131
Comments: 17
Kudos: 140





	1. Tugger

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first day of my fanfic advent calendar 2019!
> 
> Title from All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.

Rum Tum Tugger yawns and stretches lazily as he watches the sun slowly set. He has been curled up in Mrs. Partridge's windowsill all afternoon, enjoying both the sunlight and her new heating system. The festive lights outside the house lights up just as the sun finally disappears off the horizon. Tugger can't help but smile. He hates winter and the cold, but Christmas is good. Christmas is the one good thing winter brings.

With that thought, Tugger nudges open the sliding window－and winces at the chilly wind－and sneaks out into the night. It's time to go home.

Mrs. Partridge lives quite close to the junkyard, a fact which Tugger is very thankful for, but even the short distance is enough to leave him shivering when he finally arrives at his den inside a cardboard box on the back of an abandoned truck. He was so busy rolling on his blanket and shaking off the flakes of snow on his fur that he doesn’t notice the newest addition to his den until he has completely enveloped himself in a blanket.

Unwilling to leave the warmth of his blanket burrito, Tugger rolls over near the entrance of his den, where a miniature tree as tall as him stands. Upon close inspection, he finds that it is plastic, with specks of glitter on the fake pine needles. Probably a mini Christmas tree some human threw out. Tugger tilts his head in confusion.

It is, of course, perfectly normal for the Rum Tum Tugger to get gifts. With all these admirers he has, he gets gifts every other day! But this is a Christmas-themed present, not just any gift, and it's still 24 days 'till Christmas. Maybe someone is eager to be the first cat to give him his Christmas present this year. Tugger shrugs, and carefully nudges the tree towards the back of his den.

“Tugger?” Tugger stumbles in his burrito in his haste to turn around. Sighing, he sheds the blanket and stands up, facing Mistoffelees, who has poked his head into the den and is now trying, and failing, to hide his chuckles. Tugger scowls, but Misto’s smile doesn’t waver. He know Tugger isn’t really cross. Being the clever little shit he is, he probably knows Tugger is physically unable to be really cross at him.

“Heyyyy, Misto, what is it?”

“Oh, Victoria brought a dish of salmon from home! You know, the expensive stuff her human cooks? It’s really good, and I thought you’d like some?” Misto asks shyly.

“Of course.” Tugger drawls, shrugging off his humiliation at the thought of good food. 

“Come on, then! There won't be any left once the kittens arrive! Oh, and I'm thinking maybe we can go for a walk afterwards? I saw this Decor shop with the most gorgeous Christmas lights…” Misto rambles on as he leads the way to the other side on the dumpster.

Tugger follows, trying to hide his content smile at seeing Misto’s enthusiasm. The younger tom is shy and aloof to most cats, his playful nature hidden under the mild, mysterious black tux. Tugger never takes Misto’s openness with him for granted. And if he is completely honest, he feels rather smug about being privy to Mistoffelees’s more straightforward emotions.

* * *

The second day of December, Rum Tum Tugger arrives at his den to see a red bauble hanging on a branch of his mini Christmas tree. The next day, it's a small star ornament. On the fourth, it is not an ornament but an actual dead mice, right outside his den. (He appreciates the sentiment, but throws the thing away. ' _for I only like what I find for myself_ ', and all that.) The list goes on and on, one gift each day, mostly small adornments for the mini Christmas tree, and sometimes other presents. 

Tugger has to admit, he is intrigued. He likes the gifts, but more than anything he wants, he desires to know who these little trinkets are from. (That's not what the other cats mean when they call him _curious_ , but it's true.)

Tugger would put his money on the gifts being from a secret admirer. But none of the queens have been treating his differently. They are affectionate and flirty, alright, but no more affectionate and flirty than they always have been. He hangs out with Mistoffelees almost every night, and nobody has tried to get him alone to talk or anything.

 _I need a plan,_ he thinks as he bats at the catnip-filled toy dove he got on the 10th of December. If his secret gift-giver is leading up to something on Christmas day, he _needs_ to know who it is, and what they're planning.

The next day, instead of coming after sunset, Tugger sneaks out to the dumpster a few hours early, but there is already a new snowflake ornament on his tree.

 _Damn, too late_. But Tugger is nothing if not persistent. That night, after saying goodbye to Misto near sunrise at the end of their trip to the pier, Tugger hides in a vacant shoe box right opposite the entrance of his den, poking a peep hole on the side of the box, determined to see who his secret admirer is.

But nobody came all day. Tugger is wondering if the gift-giver knew he was there and chose to skip the daily present this time when the lid of the shoebox pops open. He jolts, hissing, and looks up to the bemused face of Mistoffelees.

"Tugger, what are you doing here?" Misto asks as Tugger takes deep breaths to calm his racing heartbeat, "Oh dear, have you been here all day?"

"I just wanted to know who has been giving me gifts." Tugger does NOT pout.

"Oh?" Misto asks as he slides into the box next to Tugger, he lithe body slotting into the tiny space despite Tugger's mane taking up most of the room.

"Hmm." Tugger hums as he starts gently grooming his smaller friend. If Misto trusts him with his more energetic side, then he can trust Misto with his gentler instincts too. "I think I have a secret admirer."

Mistoffelees huffs out a laugh. "You never _not_ have admirers, Tugger. Plural."

"No, I mean…" Tugger pauses, slightly troubled. "I think they actually mean it, this time. Doing it properly. _Courting._ "

"And you don't like it?"

"No, I appreciate it a lot. It's just… It's one thing to play along when flirting, but I don't wanna string them along when they actually mean it."

"But you don't know who it is yet."

"Yeah. But I'm sure it'll be a 'no' from me, Misto. I don't want any one of them like that." Tugger says quietly, licking between Misto's ears.

"Oh." Misto stills, and goes quiet for a while. "Oh well, good luck on that, I guess." He says, standing up.

"Yeah, I guess. But it's almost sunset and no one's come yet. They were much earlier last night." Tugger frowns at the deserted area near his den.

"You must've dozed off in the middle of the day, Tugger." Misto teases as he climbs out of the box.

"Did not!" Tugger protests at Misto's back. He's sure he would've seen if anyone came by his den today.

But when he goes into his den after sunset, there is a new angel ornament on his tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tugger’s owner is called Partridge because the actor who plays him in the 1998 movie is John Partridge, and that reminds me of “and a partridge in a pear tree”.


	2. Mistoffelees

Mistoffelees curls up in an abandoned pipe and thinks.

Getting the angel ornament into Tugger's den was a piece of cake. No matter how carefully the Rum Tum Tugger watches the entrance, he could never see the small black tom _teleporting_ straight into his den. No, Mistoffelees, magician extraordinaire, is not afraid of being seen or caught by his friend. His _friend_. That, is the problem here. On one hand, Misto is glad to know his attempt at courting has at least managed to deliver his intended message. On the other hand…

"I don't want anyone like that." Tugger had said. None of the Jellicles would succeed in courting Tugger, which is good. "None of the Jellicles" includes Mistoffelees as well, which is not good.

Mistoffelees rests his head on his paws and think about the small pile of trinkets still sitting in his den, waiting to be given to a majestic tom with a glorious mane. Courting or not, Tugger deserves all the nice presents in the world. Besides, if he stops the gifts right after talking about them, Tugger sure would be suspicious. 

Having made his decision, Misto stands to go look for Tugger. Today is Thursday, when the supermarket throws out the week's stale produce near their dumpster. They could go digging together. As friends, of course.

Tugger is staring at his mini Christmas tree when Misto pokes his head in his den. He seems deep in thought, his fluffy tail twitching irritatedly on the floor.

"Tugger?" Misto calls softly.

Tugger, when he turns around, has a small frown on his face. "They came again, Misto!" His complaint is almost a whine, "I watched the den all day and they somehow still managed to sneak in!"

"Tugger, you couldn't have been on constant vigilance the whole day and you know it." Misto says, not unkindly, before hastily changing the subject. "It's Thursday, Tugger, wanna go looks through the supermarket dump?"

Tugger perks up. "Ooooooh let's go, Misto!" He says, all but dragging the smaller tom along as he exits his den, secret admirer forgotten. Misto follows with a grin, nudging Tugger's shoulder as he sticks close to the larger tom for extra warmth.

 _This is good,_ Mistoffelees sighs happily as he roams the dark streets with his best friend by his side, _lover or friend, being with Tugger is good._

The next day, Tugger stakes out in front of his den again. Misto teleports into his den with the day's gift in his paws, but accidently knocks a bell off the mini Christmas tree when he hangs up the newest ornament. The bells rolls away with a loud ringing noise. Misto rushes to catch the bell and stop its ringing, but freezes when he hears pawsteps coming his way. Panicking, Misto hides behind Tugger's huge pile of blankets as the owner of the den rushes in to investigate the noise.

Misto holds his breath as Tugger looks around his den, his body tense and prepared to teleport away if the bigger tom comes too close. Fortunately, Tugger notices the bell on the floor and, deciding that the ringing noise was just the bell coming loose from the tree, he hangs the small ornament back and leaves the den again, most likely back to his stakeout. Misto lets out a relieved breath, and teleported away after hurriedly hanging up the sock ornament he brought.

The night, Rum Tum Tugger returns to his den to find a small sock mysteriously added to his Christmas tree. Frustrated but admitting defeat, he gives up the spying.

"Hopefully they'll reveal themselves soon." Tugger says as he joins Misto for a climb on a nearby slope later that night.

"...So you can reject them in person?" Misto blurts out, his voice more shrill than he intends it to.

"No, Misto, no, I'm not that cruel!" Tugger's eyes are wide as he rushes to explain, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking... I just want to know how they manage to get in my den with me watching the entrance the whole time."

Misto can't help but grin. "You curious cat, Rum Tum Tugger."

Tugger lets out a yowl of laughter. "Not a terrible bore anymore, am I?" He teases, nudging Misto's shoulder with his own.

"Aw, you know I was just joking!" Misto whines, swatting at Tugger as the two cats speed along the slope, side-by-side.

* * *

The night of Christmas eve finds Mistoffelees visibly trembling behind an abandoned blue truck. Just a few hours ago, Tugger found his 24th present in the form of a ball of yarn dangling from a branch on his Christmas tree and now, Misto is preparing himself to deliver the 25th, and the last, item in the advent calendar to the tom he loves.

Misto would give Tugger anything and everything he wants. Tugger wants to meet his admirer, so that is what Misto shall offer. Misto gently bops the golden star ornament he’s got. He fell in love with it when he first saw it on a mini tree in the kitchen of Victoria’s human last week, and he stole it with help from the white kitten.

“What do you want it for, though?” She had asked. When Misto only blushed instead of answering, she smirked in realization and bopped him on the nose. “Good luck to you, Misty, you’ll need it.” She said to Misto’s wrinkling nose, then strode off cheerily.

 _Good luck to me indeed,_ Misto thinks gloomily. It will be Christmas in just a few minutes. In just a few minutes, he will meet Tugger, give him this last gift, and confess. In just a few minutes, their friendship will either grow into something more, or break. Mistoffelees understands Tugger well enough to know that his friend will not let something like a refused confession destroy their friendship, but Misto would probably need quite some time to get over both his feelings and the rejection he will inevitably receive.

“Mistoffelees! A very merry Christmas to you!” Misto turns with a smile to see his best friend approaching with a swagger.

“Merry Christmas, Tugger.” Misto says. He takes in Tugger's gentle grin, the casual sway of his hips, and whips out the star before he can chicken out.

"Ooooh, is this my Christmas present?" Tugger says, delighted.

“A part of it, yes.” Misto says, handing Tugger the star.

Tugger lets out a cute squeal (which he would certainly deny later, Misto knows) as he looks the star over, then what Misto said registers in his head, and he looks up at his friend.

“A part of it? There’s more? Aww Misto, you don’t need to…”

“I want to.” Misto says, more bravely than he is feeling, and holds out a paw. “Do you trust me?”

Tugger puts his own paw on top of Misto’s with no more hesitation than a small questioning noise, and Mistoffelees teleports both of them into Tugger’s den right away. Tugger staggers sideways when they land.

“Whoa-” he blurts out, staring at the insides of his own den.

Misto fidgets slightly, not looking at his friend. “You wanted to know how you never see the gifter coming.” He says.

“I did, but…” Tugger tilts his head, not understanding. “So you think it is by teleportation? Does that mean there is another magician in the Jellicles?”

Misto shakes his head, finally meeting Tugger’s eye. Tugger blinks at him for a moment, waiting for an explaination, until he finally comprehends and his eyes widen.

“You, tha- it was you?” His chin drops as he stares as Misto, who is even fidgeting more intensely now.

“Well…” He takes in a deep breath, then giving up all the lengthy rambles and simply says, “Yes.”

Tugger is silent for a moment. Then he hesitantly says, “This is Christmas, not April Fools, Misto.”

A wave of hurt flows through Misto and he says, a bit bitterly, “I know that, Tugger. And I know you said you don’t- you don’t want anyone like that, but I just thought, I should still give you your presents, you don’t have to know it’s me, but then you said you wanted to know-” His explanation is cut short when Tugger barrels into his side with an embrace.

“Oh, Misto, you adorable idiot.” He says, and Misto can barely feel insulted, with the fondness evident in Tugger's voice and the tight, affectionate way he is holding him close. He doesn't exactly understand, but he _thinks_ this may not be the rejection he was expecting.

"What?" He asks, still confused, after a while.

"If I remember correctly, Misto," Tugger says teasingly, leaning back a bit to look Misto in the face, "I said I didn't want anyone of _them_ like that."

Misto feels the world tilt on its axis. He pauses, rethinking the whole month of December and all of their interactions. Tugger looks on anxiously. Misto turns to look Tugger in the eye calculatingly, then smacks Tugger's head, hard.

"Oi! I just basically confessed-"

"You made me think you would never want me-"

"Not my fault you misunderstood-"

"Give back all these gifts, you ass-"

The two of them collapse together, laughing and fighting playfully at the same time. After a while, they stop to catch their breath.

"I would have tried to court you soon if you hadn't," Tugger admits, uncharacteristically quietly, "I was gonna set it as my new year's resolution."

Misto shakes his head, amused and touched, still only partly believing what is happening. "Well, I think this is more romantic than anything you could think up, you terrible bore." He teases.

Tugger bops his nose playfully. "Nope, you like me."

"Unfortunately." Misto sighs. "Now, wanna put that star up? Finish the tree?"

Tugger perks up, and grabs the star from where he had dropped it to hug Misto.

"This is going to be the best Christmas ever." He sing-songs cheerfully, then steps back to admire the tree next to Misto. Misto hums contently.

"Merry Christmas, Tugger."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I think the "terrible bore" line is technically by Quaxo, but in both the 1998 movie and the two live productions I saw they were basically the same character, and I think it makes a lot of sense for Tugger's best friend to say that, so.


End file.
